From time immemorial, sand castles, sand sculptures and other sand structures have been a source of entertainment for enthusiasts, both young and old. Although such structures formerly were built exclusively for amusement and enjoyment, sand sculpting has become a serious commercial activity. Sculptures are created for competitions, for promotional purposes, as a vehicle for personal expression, and of course, just for fun. More and more, sand sculpting is becoming an activity driven by efficiency, skill and speed.
Previously, a sculptor could choose from a variety of tools to sculpt a shape, such tools serving primarily to cut or dig. Common tools have included hands, knives, spoons, cups, buckets and sand shovels. Several of the drawbacks common to these tools are: 1) the inability to form various desired shapes with a single tool; 2) the delay in switching from a shaping tool to a scooping tool; and 3) the inefficiency of most tools for use in creating conventional sand sculpture shapes.
Because loose, dry sand does not generally hold or retain its shape (i.e., loose, dry sand is not shapeable or shape-receptive) and packed, moist sand is shapeable or shape-receptive, sand structures generally are formed from packed, moist sand. Similar structures or shapes, however, can be created using any soft, shapeable mass, including, for example, materials such as snow, dirt, soft clay and moist sugar.